1. Freedom is the most contagious virus known to man. -Hubert H. Humphrey

3. 550 million people live here
Mexico
Cuba
Haiti/D.R.
550 million people live here
Colombia
“American cash, equipment and training, supplied to elite units of the Colombian intelligence service over the past decade to help smash cocaine-trafficking rings, were used to carry out spying operations and smear campaigns against Supreme Court justices, (Colombian President) Uribe’s political opponents, and civil society groups.” – Washington Post
Peru
Brazil
Bolivia
Latin Americans account for over 50% of the annual documented immigrants to the United States

5. Latin American Independence Movements
An Age of Revolutions
Latin American Independence Movements

6. Background Indigenous peoples and civilizations
Maya, Aztec, Inca
European Colonization, 1500s
Spain, Portugal, France
American Revolution, 1776
French Revolution and Enlightenment, 1789
Napoleon’s conquests within Europe, 1800s

7. Latin American Independence Movements, 18th & 19th C.

8. French colonies: Revolution in Haiti
Saint Domingue, now known as Haiti
Western third of island of Hispanola in Caribbean Sea.
Plantation slavery, sugar

9. Toussaint L’Ouverture
Former slave, self-educated.
Untrained in military and political matters, but became a skilled general and diplomat.
Allegedly got name (“opening” in French) from being able to find openings in enemy lines.
Took leadership of a slave revolt that broke out in 1791.
100,000 slaves in revolt.

10. By 1801, L’Ouverture moved into Spanish Santo Domingo (the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispanola), took control of territory and freed slaves.
In January 1802, French troops landed.
Toussaint agreed to an end of fighting if the French would end slavery
French accused him of planning another uprising.
Sent him to a prison in the French Alps.
He died 10 months later, April 1803.

11. Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Toussaint’s general.
Took up the fight.
Jan 1, 1804 – Haiti declared an independent country.
First black colony to free itself from European control.
He called it Haiti, “mountainous land,” in the language of the native Arawak inhabitants.
Became first emperor of Haiti; later assassinated in a revolt.
1820: Haiti became an independent republic

12. Spanish Colonies Revolutions against Spanish Rule

13. Latin American social classes
Peninsulares - men born in Spain
held highest offices
Creoles - Spaniards born in Latin America
officers in army, but not in government
often resented power of the peninsulares
Mestizos - mixed European and Indian
Mulattos - mixed European and African
Indians
Slaves

14. European Background: Napoleon
Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808.
Removed Spain’s King Ferdinand VII and made Joseph (Nap’s brother) king of Spain.
Creoles used it as a reason for revolution.
1810 rebellion across Latin America.
1814, Napoleon defeated and Ferdinand returned to power, but creoles continued their movement.

15. Francisco Goya, Executions of May 3, 1808

16. Simon Bolivar
Wealthy Venezuelan Creole.
“The Liberator”

17. Jose de San Martin
Born in Argentina, spent time in Spain as military officer.

18. Lima, Peru

19. Venezuelan Independence, 1821
Venezuela declared independence, 1811.
Bolivar’s armies unsuccessful at first.
1819: Bolivar marched armies over Andes into today’s Colombia, defeated Spanish army.
1821: Venezuelan independence.
Marched north to Ecuador to meet Jose de San Martin.

20. Argentinean Independence
Argentina declared independence in 1816.
San Martin led army across Andes to Chile, joined by Bernardo O’Higgins, and freed Chile.
Ecuador, 1822: San Martin met with Bolivar to decide how to remove remaining Spanish forces in Lima, Peru.

21. San Martin sailed for Europe and died on French soil in 1850.
Dec 9, 1824, Bolivar defeated Spanish at Battle of Ayacucho.

22. Bolivar
San Martin

23. Gran Colombia, 1820-1830 Bolivar’s vision of a united South America.
Present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama.
Short-lived due to dissension amongst various factions.
Bolivar resigned in 1828.
In 1830, Bolivar’s Gran Colombia divided into Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
Panama later split from Colombia with US assistance, 1903.

24. Mexico
Indians and mestizos, not creoles, played the key role in independence movements.
Creoles sided with Spain to avoid violence of lower-class rebellions (until 1820).

25. Miguel Hidalgo A village priest, believed in Enlightenment ideals.
1810, called for revolution.
Grito de Dolores (cry of pain)
Hidalgo’s Indian and mestizo followers marched to Mexico City.
Spanish army and creoles acted against Hidalgo and defeated him in 1811.

26. Jose Maria Morelos Took leadership after Hidalgo’s defeat.
Defeated by creoles.

27. Mexican Independence, 1821
1820 revolution in Spain put a liberal government in power.
Mexican creoles feared loss of influence, so they united against Spain.
Agustin Iturbide declared himself emperor, but was overthrown.
1824: Establishment of the Mexican Republic.

28. Brazilian Independence
In 1807, Napoleon marched on Iberian peninsula, forcing Portuguese royal family of King John VI to escape to Brazil, Portugal’s largest colony.
From 1807 to 1815, Brazil was center of Portuguese empire.

29. With defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Portugal wanted Brazil to become a colony again.
By 1822, creoles demanding independence signed a petition asking Portugal’s prince, Dom Pedro, to rule Brazil.
On Sept 7, 1822, Dom Pedro agreed, and declared Brazil’s independence

30. United Provinces of Central America
Several other Central American states declared their independence from both Spain and Mexico to create the United Provinces of Central America.

31. By 1841, United Provinces of Central America had split into republics of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras.
Conservative clergy and wealthy landowners resisted liberal, democratic reforms.
Inability to agree to terms of a canal cost it much-needed revenue.

32. Period of Consolidation, 1825-1850
Breakdown of original nations and groups:
Gran Colombia
an original union between Bolivia and Peru
United Provinces of Central America
Instability of internal politics
Bolivia experienced 60 revolts and coups.
Venezuela experienced 52 revolts and coups
Liberals - free trade, representative govt, federal government system
Conservatives - protect church and upper classes
controlled most regimes between 1830 and 1870.
Independence movements and new governments run by Creoles
Spanish administrators had excluded Creoles from political leadership, so few leaders could actually run a government.

33. Growing role of the military
Stepped in to fill administrative positions where inexperienced Creoles failed.
Often drawn from independence armies.
Possessed organization skills
Gained support of Creole landowners and church officials eager to suppress peasant unrest.
Often faced revolts and coups, too.
Military hierarchy helped compensate for weakly developed civil administrations.

34. Trend towards Commercial Development
Mining
Estate agriculture (Shift from plantation)
Extension of road and rail networks.
Foreign investment.
Immigration.
End of slavery in 1880s
Leads to new demand for labor
Argentina’s policies encouraging immigration led to 3/4 of the pop foreign-born.

35. Latin American Independence Movements, 18th & 19th C.